The Rise of Silas Lapham characters

Appears from the start

A Vermont-born manufacturer who has made a fortune from a mineral paint discovered on his family's land. Blunt, energetic, and intensely proud of rising through his own labor, he is confident in business but uneasy among Boston's established elite.

Appears from the start

A young newspaper writer who interviews Lapham about his career. Clever and socially observant, he encourages the businessman to turn family history and commercial success into an appealing public story.

Also known as Mrs. Lapham

First appears in chapter 2

Silas's perceptive and plainspoken wife, who shared his life before prosperity. She values the family more than social display and retains a strong moral memory of the people and choices behind her husband's success.

First appears in chapter 2

The Laphams' older daughter, intelligent, witty, and self-conscious about her appearance. She often hides serious feeling behind humor and presents herself as less interested in society and romance than her beautiful younger sister.

First appears in chapter 2

The Laphams' younger daughter, admired for her beauty and gentle manner. Her parents assume that her looks and sweetness make her the natural focus of any young man's attention.

First appears in chapter 3

Lapham's former business associate, who once supplied money when the paint enterprise needed capital. Their partnership ended with Rogers accepting a buyout, but Persis believes her husband took advantage of a man in a weak position.

First appears in chapter 4

The cultivated head of an old Boston family. Detached, ironic, and more interested in taste than commerce, he views the newly rich Laphams with curiosity and skepticism rather than open hostility.

Also known as Mrs. Corey

First appears in chapter 5

Bromfield Corey's socially conscientious wife and Tom's mother. She takes family position seriously and tries to judge the Laphams fairly, though their habits and manners remain unfamiliar to her.

Also known as Tom Corey

First appears in chapter 5

The Coreys' eldest son, a friendly and earnest young man who wants useful work rather than genteel idleness. His interest in Lapham's paint business brings the two families into sustained contact.

First appears in chapter 20

A clergyman and trusted acquaintance of the Coreys. When asked about a painful romantic conflict, he emphasizes the duties created by truth and rejects sentimental self-sacrifice that would prolong deception.